Girraween High's smooth stage criminals

Girraween High School graduates will grace the Seymour Centre stage for a final time tonight — as five pop-culture supervillains, hell-bent on a prison escape.

Sindhu Sharma, Erin Falson, Jing Jiao, Emily Brewer and Vamshika Bakshi have adopted the characters of Voldemort, Gollum, the Queen of Hearts, Catwoman and the Joker for their act.

It was one of 10 group performances selected for Onstage, the Board of Studies Teaching and Educational Standards (BOSTES) week-long showcase of the best HSC drama performances.

‘‘Because they’re characters most people know we had to really work to get the characterisation right,’’ Emily said.

Vamshika agreed.

‘‘The director said we should find something new to bring to every performance and that when we stop improving we should stop acting,’’ she said.

‘‘We wanted to keep up the intensity even though the piece is probably quite playful in a lot of ways — we burst into song and do everything.’’

Though the selective high school is better known for its academic successes, the students have enjoyed every second of their time flying the flag for western Sydney in a performance line-up that includes several NSW performing arts schools.

‘‘When I was younger I always wanted to be an actor but it’s a difficult career [so] it was an amazing experience,’’ Jing said.

‘‘To act in a more professional way is nice,’’ Erin said.

BOSTES president Tom Alegounarias said the showcase was a chance for the students’ talents to be recognised by a broader audience.

‘‘A life in the theatre can be a challenging one and these students have the dedication, desire and natural talent needed to succeed,’’ he said.